The Taming of the Beast
by emzgurl
Summary: After a drunken fling, Hermione Granger finds herself with child. Who is the father? And will he take responsibility for his unborn child?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Prologue**

Hermione Granger awoke with a start, glancing wildly around the room she was in. The room was bathed in darkness, the only light coming from a small split in the curtains, and the clock on the wall read half past eleven. Hermione had no idea where she was, nor how she had gotten there. Sitting up quickly, she winced in pain as she felt her head split in two.

Gingerly lowering herself back down, the memories of the previous evening came flooding back to her. Last night she had attended her ten-year reunion of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She had, of course, been extremely nervous about attending, especially as much of the evening was spent honouring those ex-students who had lost their lives in the ten years since leaving Hogwarts. Hermione had been fine until it came time to honour her best friend and ex-boyfriend, Ron Weasley.

Though it had been seven years since he had died, the honouring still opened raw wounds for Hermione. Never one to drink very much, to numb her pain, she had made an exception. By eleven o'clock, as she left on the arm of a man she could not remember the name of, Hermione Granger was drunk for the first time in her life.

Hermione groaned. She was almost certain she had done something stupid the night before, and as she turned over in the bed, she confirmed it. She was staring at the bare back of a man. He had a short buzz cut of fair hair but she could not see his face. She racked her brain, trying to remember who he could be but came up with nothing.

Slowly, so as not to awaken the man and to avoid another splitting pain in her head, Hermione got out of the bed. She almost screamed when she realised she wasn't wearing any clothes and quickly grabbed the cloak at her feet, covering herself.

She noticed the man begin to stir. Panicking, she quickly looked around the room for her clothes but to no avail. She started to tiptoe toward the door, clad only in a stranger's cloak (she assumed, due to its size, it belonged to her sleeping companion). She was just reaching for the doorknob when a voice stopped her.

"Who are you?"

Taking a deep breath, Hermione turned slowly around. She let out a short scream when she found herself staring into the eyes of Draco Malfoy.

* * *

If you want me to continue, please review. 


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Chapter One**

Hermione Granger made her way into the kitchen of the small house she lived in. Stifling a yawn, she waved in greeting to the tall, dark haired man currently sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning, Hermione," the man said, in between mouthfuls. "Sleep well?"

"Morning, Harry," Hermione replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Not bad thanks, you?"

"Ginny got called away at three thirty this morning," he said, screwing up his face. "So no, not really."

Hermione chuckled, gulping down her freshly brewed coffee. Hermione, her best friend Harry Potter and Harry's girlfriend Ginny Weasley shared a small house in Muggle London. They had done so for the past two years without too many fights or disagreements.

"What are you up to today, Harry? It's your day off, isn't it?"

Before Harry could reply, Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth before dashing toward the bathroom. She barely noticed that she had dropped her mug in the process, smashing it to pieces. A few moments later, Harry hurried into the bathroom to find Hermione hunched over the toilet, wiping her mouth.

"Hermione?" Harry asked warily.

"I hate vomiting, Harry. It's disgusting."

Harry approached her, placing the back of his hand across her forehead, obviously feeling for a temperature.

"You don't feel warm. Do you think you're sick?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, slowly pulling herself up from the floor. "It's the third time this week though, so maybe."

"I'll Floo Ginny, see if she can fit you in today."

Without waiting for an answer, Harry left the room. Ginny, a medi-witch, had her own practise, in between assisting in the emergency ward of St. Mungo's.

Thoughts of Harry and Ginny soon evaporated from Hermione's mind, however, as she found her head in the toilet bowl once again.

* * *

That afternoon, Hermione found herself leafing through an old magazine in the waiting room of Ginny's practise. Opposite her was a middle aged woman, holding a screaming baby. Hermione tried to block the screams out but found the shrill of it increasingly difficult to ignore.

"Ms Granger," a voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts, "Ms Weasley will see you now."

Hermione returned the magazine to the small table and entered Ginny's office. She greeted her friend with a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat opposite her.

"Thanks for fitting me in, Gin."

"No problem," Ginny replied. "Harry can be quite convincing when he wants to be. Now, tell me, what's the matter?"

Hermione explained her upset stomach to Ginny, doing her best to make it sound as worry free as possible. Ginny took out her wand and inspected Hermione all over. As her wand hovered over Hermione's stomach, a look of shock swept over Ginny's face.

"Oh my God, Hermione," Ginny breathed. "You're pregnant."

"I'm what?" demanded Hermione, panic running through her.

"You're pregnant. I… I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."

Ginny stared at Hermione, a surprised look still etched on her face. She made her way over to her supply cabinet, leaving Hermione to ponder what she had just been told.

It had been two months since she had spent the night with a drunken Draco Malfoy. Hermione still did not know how they had ended up together as the events of the reunion were still fuzzy. After they had realised what they'd done, both making no attempts to hide their disgust, they agreed they would speak of it to no one, least of all each other.

Now however, Hermione realised she would need to tell quite a few people about that night. There was no doubt in her mind that the baby inside of her was Malfoy's, as he was the only one she had been with in at least six months.

"Wait, Ginny! How could that possibly have happened?" Hermione demanded, getting up to pace the room. "It was one night. We were both drunk. We hate each other, there is absolutely no way we can have a child together."

"Hermione, you're definitely pregnant," Ginny responded, placing her hands calmingly on Hermione's shoulders. "What is, however, less definite, at least to me, is who the father is."

Hermione bit her lip. She knew she was not ready to face the looks of horror and disgust that Ginny and Harry would give her, were she to tell them the news.

"Ginny, I can't tell you."

"What? Why not?" Ginny demanded, her voice laced with hurt.

"I have to tell the father first," Hermione replied quickly, surprised at how easy she had come up with an excuse. "It's only right that he be told first."

"Oh, yes, of course," Ginny replied, giving Hermione a small smile. "Well, you don't have to work this afternoon, so you best go see him. I'll make something nice for dinner, then you can tell Harry and I."

Hermione's face lost all colour but she nodded, gathering her things.

"Oh, and, if you want, bring him along, Harry and I would love to meet him."

Hermione's eyes widened but again, she nodded. As she exited Ginny's office, she found herself gripped with fear at the task ahead of her.

* * *

Hermione stepped out of Ginny's practise into busy Diagon Alley. Down one end, she saw Gringotts, a magnificent building. Perhaps even more magnificent, directly down the opposite end, was Malfoy Enterprises.

Hermione had never actually been inside the enormous building, preferring to keep her distance from the sole owner and director, Draco Malfoy. However, due to recent events, she found herself taking the magical lift to the highest floor.

"Hello, welcome to Malfoy Enterprises, how may I help you?"

Hermione smiled briefly at the young, bubbly secretary. She had no idea what to say that could possibly convince Malfoy to see her. She was quite sure, upon hearing the name Hermione Granger, he would have her thrown out of the building.

Deciding she would have to take her chances, Hermione returned the secretaries smile.

"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger, I'm here to see Draco Malfoy."

"Are you acquainted with Mr Malfoy, ma'am?" the secretary asked, her smile never faltering.

"I went to school with him. We had our reunion a couple of months ago and he suggested, if I was ever in the area, that I drop by and say hello."

"Oh, how lovely. One moment please."

The woman scrawled something on a bright green piece of parchment, and waited.

Suddenly, the large oak doors behind the secretaries desk boomed open. There, his buzz cut still in place, stood Draco Malfoy.

Despite herself, Hermione had to admit that with the short haircut, Malfoy looked a lot better than when he kept it long and slicked back as a teenager. Shaking these thoughts from her head, Hermione smiled weakly at him.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" demanded Malfoy.

The secretary looked quite taken aback and, mumbling an excuse, ran from the large foyer into the lift.

"I need to talk to you, Malfoy," Hermione spat, shoving past him and entering his office.

"Granger!"

Hermione ignored him, taking in her surroundings. The office was large, not that she was surprised. It was smart and elegant, not too cluttered. A large bookcase took up one entire wall and was jammed with hundreds of books. On the wall directly behind Malfoy's desk was a painting of a blonde woman. It did not appear to be a magical painting, in fact, Hermione was sure it was a Muggle one, as she could see the delicate brushstrokes from where she stood. Hermione recognised the woman as the late Narcissa Malfoy.

The desk, thought it had parchment strewn across it, was neat. A large, gold owl perch sat in the corner of the room but the owl that usually inhabited it was missing. Taking a seat in a plush green armchair, Hermione waited for Malfoy to enter the room.

After a few moments of silence, he did so, slamming the doors closed behind him. He strolled purposefully behind his desk and sat in his chair, glaring expectantly at the woman opposite him.

Though, during their seventh year, Malfoy had changed sides, pledging his allegiance to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he and Hermione had never ceased their immense dislike for each other. Throughout the past ten years, every time they met, they squabbled like they had in their school days. In fact, Hermione was quite sure that the night of the reunion was the only time they had been civil to each other, and even that she could not be sure of, as she had almost no recollection of it.

"Granger, there better be a damned good reason why you came barging into my office, uninvited."

"Well, I was pretty sure _you _weren't going to invite me, Malfoy, so how else was I supposed to get in?"

"Why do you want to be in here?"

Hermione bit her lip. Now that she was sitting in front of him, she had no idea how she was supposed to tell him she was carrying his child.

"That's a lovely painting of your mother," Hermione said, doing her best to distract Malfoy.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my mother, Granger."

Hermione gulped. While it had not been intentional, it was in fact because of Hermione that Narcissa Malfoy was dead. During the final battle, Hermione had been duelling with Narcissa. She had performed a simple disarming spell, throwing Narcissa backwardsthrough the air. Unintentionally, Narcissa had hit a large oak tree, hitting her head and falling unconscious. She had never awoken.

Despite his allegiance to the Order of the Phoenix, Malfoy had still, of course, been deeply upset about his mother's death. Hermione had explained to him the cause of it and Malfoy had neither expressed anger or forgiveness toward her. This was the first time he had ever brought up Hermione's involvement in the death and it was plain to see he did blame her.

Losing her nerve, Hermione jumped out of her chair and stalked toward the door. She wrenched it open and stopped on the threshold, debating whether or not to turn and address Malfoy. Knowing she would have to tell him eventually, she turned to face him.

"Listen, by some extreme case of bad luck, I'm pregnant and you're the father. I'm not telling you this because I expect you to marry me, involve yourself in the child's life or even act civil toward me. I am merely telling you as a courtesy, I do not expect _anything _from you."

With that, Hermione stalked away, slamming the door behind her. It wasn't until she entered the magical lift that she let out the breath she had been holding.


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** Thank you all very much for your reviews. I appreciate all of them. While I have planned this story out, right down to the eye colour of the child, I would still love to hear any suggestions anyone may have. The one thing I have not planned out, is the name of the unborn child/children. If you have any ideas, please offer them up. At this stage, just to keep you guessing, I'm looking for both male and female names. Thanks again, and enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

Draco Malfoy sat at his desk, stunned into silence. It had been a big enough shock to find his school day enemy in his office, but the news she had delivered to him was an even bigger one.

Just as he imagined Hermione was, Draco had been disgusted at himself after waking up to find her in his hotel room. They had quickly agreed not to speak of the event to anyone else, least of all each other. That was precisely why Draco had been so incensed that Hermione had arrived at his office.

Pregnant? And he was the father? It didn't make sense to Draco. How could one, drunken night end so badly? How could the woman he disliked most in the world be carrying his child?

Slumping down in his chair, Draco put his head in his hands. This was nothing short of a disaster. Knowing he couldn't deal with it himself, he immediately Flooed the secretary of his best friend, Blaise Zabini. He asked the secretary to have Blaise Floo directly to Draco's office as soon as possible.

While he waited, Draco paced the room. He still could not remember how he and Granger had ended up sleeping together; he had been far too intoxicated to remember. While he knew that Granger had begun drinking due to the honour they had put on for Weasley, Draco had done it out of boredom. Aside from Blaise and occasionally Harry Potter, Draco hadn't had a great deal of contact with his old classmates, which was just the way he liked it. Blaise had not been able to attend the reunion and Potter was, of course, doing the rounds the entire night, so Draco had really had no one of interest to talk to. So he drank. And obviously, he didn't stop until he was well on his way to being drunk.

The rest of the evening, Draco could only piece together. As he had woken up naked, in a hotel room with a naked girl, he was quite certain what had gone on, despite having no memory of it whatsoever. He did, however, know it was just a drunken fling and never imagined it would resurface two months down the track.

"What's up?"

Draco spun around, coming face to face with Blaise Zabini who was dusting the soot from the fire off of his shoulders.

"I'm screwed, that's what."

Blaise chuckled and took a seat. He clasped his hands in front of him and looked at Draco expectantly, obviously waiting for him to elaborate.

"Guess who just decided to drop in and say hello to me?" Malfoy snapped, sitting in the armchair next to Blaise.

"Voldemort?"

Draco rolled his eyes at Blaise's attempts at humour.

"Hermione bloody Granger!"

"Really?" Blaise cried, clearly shocked. "I haven't seen her since Weasley's funeral. What was that, six or seven years ago? How is she?"

Draco shot Blaise a withering look. He too had attended Ron Weasley's funeral. Though they had never really grown to like each other, they had served together side by side on the battlefield for the Order of the Phoenix. Draco only had vague memories of Granger that day. She and Weasley had been dating at the time and all Draco could remember was that Granger did not cry, not single tear anytime he saw her that entire day. Though he found this extremely odd, he could not dwell on it at the present time, there were much more pressing matters at hand.

"She's great. Oh, and you know that reunion two months ago you couldn't attend? Well we both got drunk at it. Oh, and the next morning, we woke up naked, in the same bed."

Blaise's mouth dropped open.

"Oh yes, and the reason for her visit, you ask? She's pregnant. With my child."

If it was possible, Blaise's mouth dropped down a little further. The office was engulfed in silence, the way in which it remained for what seemed like an hour to Draco but was probably only about thirty seconds.

"You had sex? With Hermione Granger? At the reunion? And you didn't tell me?"

"We agreed we wouldn't tell anyone," Draco mumbled, not looking at Blaise.

"And now she's pregnant?"

"Yes, Blaise," Draco snapped, resuming his pacing across the office. "She left not ten minutes ago."

"Are you sure it's yours?"

"It's Granger, how many people do you think she's slept with in the past year? I'd bet a million Galleons I'm the only one."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Blaise chuckled.

"Okay. So what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean what am I going to do? I'm not the one who's pregnant."

"No, but you're the father of said child. So, there are a couple of things you can do."

Draco looked at Blaise blankly.

"Well, you can do the honourable, traditional thing and marry her," Blaise ignored Draco's disgusted look and continued, "you could convince her to get rid of the child or put it up for adoption," Blaise again ignored the look of displeasure on Draco's face, "you could ignore it all, she doesn't seem like the type to force you into the whole fatherhood thing, so you could just pretend it never happened."

Again, Draco screwed up his face.

"Well then, if you don't like any of them, there's only one option."

"What's that?"

"You Apparate over to wherever Granger lives and tell her, though you don't want to marry her, you want to be a father to this child and you're ready to get involved."

Draco sighed, sitting back down.

"How am I supposed to be a father, Blaise? Lucius was a dreadful one and he's all I've got as an example."

"Well," Blaise replied thoughtfully, "you just do everything he didn't. Just do the complete opposite."

Draco sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He had no idea how to be a father, especially a father to Hermione Grangers child.

"I can't do it, Blaise."

"Well you can't just leave her high and dry, Draco. You're both equally responsible; you just don't get any real, hands on responsibility for nine months. But you should still be there with her, going through everything."

"How Blaise? We hate each other, we can't stand to be in the same room as each other."

"Well, I suppose you're going to have to learn to bite that tongue of yours, aren't you, Draco?"


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but the rest belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** Each time I post a new chapter, I seem to get less and less reviews. Does that mean my writing is getting worse and worse? Please keep the reviews coming, as well as any name suggestions! Enjoy.

**Chapter Three**

When Hermione arrived home, she was still in a bad mood. She certainly hadn't gone to Malfoy Enterprises with the intention of snapping at Malfoy, though given that the two were in the same room, the snapping and cold comments were almost expected. However, Hermione was not happy with the way things had gone. Surprisingly though, she found herself meaning what she had said to Malfoy: she didn't want _anything_ from him.

Hermione had had the displeasure of meeting the late Lucius Malfoy, a disgusting human being, in her opinion. She could only imagine what an atrocious father he must have been, especially given the way his only child had turned out. Hermione did not want such a man having anything to do with the unborn child now growing inside of her.

Hermione had never been particularly maternal, and even now that she knew she was pregnant, she still didn't feel any excitement or anticipation at her impending motherhood. However, she knew the kinds of people she wished to raise her child around, and a man raised by Voldemort's right hand man was not one of them. She knew that, if Malfoy wanted to be involved, she would have to let him, but doubted he would.

"Hey Hermione, how did it go with Ginny?"

Hermione jumped, spinning around. She had not noticed Harry sprawled on the couch, reading a Quidditch magazine and his greeting scared her.

"Oh, hi, Harry," Hermione said cautiously, not sure of how much Ginny had told him. "It went fine."

"What's the matter?"

"What? Nothing," Hermione snapped, a little too forcefully.

"Okay," Harry replied slowly, eyeing her curiously. "Then why do you keep throwing up?"

Hermione sighed and glanced at her watch. It was only two hours before Ginny would be home, revealing Hermione's news to Harry and demanding to know whom the father was. Hermione didn't see the point in delaying the inevitable for a mere two hours and purposefully took a seat opposite Harry.

"Harry, I'm pregnant."

Hermione explained the entire situation to Harry, from feeling depressed at the reunion to storming out of Malfoy's office earlier that day. Though Harry and Malfoy had put their differences aside and had formed a quasi-friendship ten years earlier, Hermione was still surprised at how well he took the news.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm not completely shocked and a little disappointed in both of you, but you're going to have a baby, Hermione. A baby!"

Hermione returned Harry's smile, finding his excitement contagious. The two chatted amicably for a few more minutes, Hermione expressing her nervousness at the situation and Harry comforting her, assuring her that he and Ginny, as well as all the Weasley's, were there for her one hundred percent.

Hermione decided to take a long bath and excused herself, still feeling a little giddy at the prospect of this child. She magically drew herself a bath, stripped off and stepped in, allowing the water to soothe her stressed muscles. Leaning her head back, Hermione began to daydream of playing with a small baby, with big brown eyes like her own and fair hair, like Malfoy's.

Her daydream, however, was interrupted by a sharp pain poking her in the shoulder. Her eyes sprang open to find a large, black Owl staring at her, a letter attached to its leg. Taking it warily, Hermione watched as it flew out the open window she had not previously noticed. Unrolling the piece of parchment, Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

_Granger,_

_We obviously need to talk. Meet me in the Leaky Cauldron at twelve o'clock tomorrow. I cannot make it any other time, as I have to work. I have reserved us a table in the back. I'll see you then._

_Draco L. Malfoy  
__Malfoy Enterprises._

Hermione could not believe it. She had given Malfoy the chance to walk away, the chance to have nothing to do with her or her baby for the rest of his life, yet here he was requesting her presence the following day. Confused as to what this meant, Hermione stepped out of the bath, her relaxed mood gone.

* * *

Hermione arrived at _Granger Consultancies_ the following morning at precisely eight o'clock. Though Hermione had begun training to become an Auror after Hogwarts, after spending two years as one, she had decided it was not for her. After doing a few favours for friends within the Ministry, Hermione had come up with the notion of _Granger Consultancies_.

Basically, officials and companies would hire her services when they needed an expert. The needed expertise could lie in anything from Quidditch to seventeenth century Goblin story telling. Whatever it was, Hermione could provide. Due to her love of reading and researching, she was very good and very efficient at her job. She was the only consultant at the company and only had a staff of two: a secretary and an assistant researcher.

_Granger Consultancies_ was an extremely successful company, as many people were simply too lazy to do the research themselves and so hired Hermione to do it for them. Her small offices were situated in the flat above _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_, Fred and George Weasley's joke shop. After they had moved out of the flat, Hermione had begged them to lease it to her, its prime location appealing to her. This also meant that, whenever she had spare time at work, she could go downstairs and visit the twins, marvelling at their latest invention.

"Good morning, Dennis."

Dennis Creevey, a former Hogwarts student a few years below Hermione, was her very organised and very efficient secretary. He smiled widely at her, handing her a stack of mail and a cup of coffee.

"Luna's already inside, Ms Granger," Dennis said cheerily.

"Call me Hermione, Dennis," Hermione murmured distractedly.

"Yes, Ms Granger."

Hermione entered her office. It was a large room, bigger than most of the Muggle flats Hermione had seen in London. Wall to wall bookcases were stocked to bursting point, sources Hermione constantly used for her consulting.

Sprawled across a red sofa with gold trimming was Luna Lovegood. Luna had been in the year behind Hermione at Hogwarts. At first, Hermione had no time for the slightly loony girl, but since they had fought together in the war against Voldemort, the two had become firm friends. A Ravenclaw student, Luna also shared Hermione's love of reading and researching, whichwas why she was employed as Hermione's assistant researcher at _Granger Consultancies_.

"Morning, Luna."

"Morning," Luna mumbled, her nose immersed in a large book. "How was your day off?"

Upon Luna's insistance, Hermione took at least one day off a week. She always did so grudgingly, as she loved her job and didn't feel as if it was really work.

"It was… interesting," Hermione replied, placing her large bag on the floor and settling behind her desk with her coffee and mail. "There's a letter here from Remus, I wonder what he wants."

Luna didn't reply as Hermione ripped open the envelope. Remus Lupin had been a Professor at Hogwarts during Hermione's third year. He had been an active member of the Order of the Phoenix and had maintained a strong friendship with Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Luna. He had married fellow Order member, Nymphadora Tonks (more commonly known simply as Tonks), three years earlier, much to the delight of friends.

"Oh my goodness!" Hermione squealed.

She had obviously startled Luna, who dropped her book and fell sideways off of the couch. She looked around, as if trying to figure out where the noise had come from.

"Luna!" Hermione cried. "Tonks is pregnant!"

Luna grinned, picking herself and her book up from the floor.

"Isn't that exciting? I wonder if her baby will be a Metamorphmagus, wouldn't that be wonderful!"

Hermione smiled. She couldn't believe that she was pregnant at the same time as Tonks. For some reason, this made her feel a great deal better. She did not see Tonks as the most maternal type either, and vowed to drop by the Lupin household that night to share her news as well.

The rest of the morning was spent researching the origins of Welsh Green Dragons. Hermione was so immersed in her reading that she didn't even hear the door open and Dennis stroll toward her desk.

"Ms Granger," he almost whispered, as if he was afraid of disturbing her.

Hermione did not hear him and it wasn't until he tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump from her seat with fright, that she noticed him.

"Oh, Dennis, sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Quite alright, Ms Granger. I had just come to inform you that your lunch meeting at the Leaky Cauldron is in approximately fifteen minutes, I suggest you leave now."

So enthralled was she in her work, Hermione had completely forgotten about meeting Malfoy at the Leaky Cauldron. She had told Dennis earlier that morning to alert her at 11.45, but had not told him whom she was meeting.

Gathering her things, Hermione slowly made her way downstairs, dreading the impending meeting.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but the rest belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the huge delay in updating, around this time of year, everything is so busy, I just hadn't gotten around to it. But here's chapter four! Keep the reviews and name suggestions coming!

**Chapter Four**

Draco Malfoy hated to be kept waiting. Admittedly, he had arrived ten minutes early for his lunch meeting with Granger, but he still hated to be kept waiting.

Malfoy had reserved a table in the back most corner of the pub, not wanting to be overheard by any curious patrons. He glanced at his watch. He'd only been waiting for a total of one minute, but already he was annoyed at Granger.

At that moment, the door to the Leaky Cauldron was pushed open, inviting a small gust of wind into the pub. Hermione Granger, her hair messy and unkempt, flounced inside, looking wildly around the pub. She spotted Draco and immediately made a beeline for him, waving hello to Tom as she did.

Draco rose from the table as Granger dumped her large bag next to the table.

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

They both took their places at the small table, looking anywhere in the room but at each other. Tom approached them, taking their orders and bringing them a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"So, Malfoy, you requested my presence. What do you want?"

"Like it or not, Granger, you're pregnant."

"I'm well aware of that, Malfoy," she spat, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "I'm the one who told you."

Draco gritted his teeth.

"Well, I'm here to tell you, that I don't plan to marry you."

"Good thing that, otherwise you'd be the only one at the wedding."

"And I'm not going to ask you to get rid of it or put it up for adoption."

"It's not as if I'd listen to you anyway."

"For once in your life, Granger, would you shut up and let me speak?"

To her credit, she listened to him, closing her mouth but continuing to glare across the table at him.

"Listen, we don't like each other. I have sincere doubts that will change anytime soon. But the fact is, you're pregnant, not just with your own child, but mine as well."

"I'm pregnant with two children?" Granger asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's hope not. You know what I mean, Granger. So that's why I called you down here, to tell you that, though I may dislike you and everything about you, I am the father of this child and plan to be involved."

"Gosh, Malfoy, how romantic. You've swept me off my feet."

Draco was about to retort when Tom brought their meals to the table, setting them down and smiling widely at them. Granger muttered a thanks before tucking into her food.

"Do you always eat like an animal, or is it just because of the thing inside of you?"

"That thing," Granger said, her voice dripping in venom "is your child."

Draco smirked at her and began eating. They ate in silence for a while, each immersed in their own thoughts.

* * *

Hermione was furious. Malfoy had a lot of nerve, summoning her to lunch, telling her that while he couldn't stand her, he was planning on being a part of the baby's life and then proceeding to insult her. It was absolutely infuriating.

"Malfoy, how involved are we talking here?" Hermione asked, staring across at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going to disappear, only showing up the day the child is born? Are you going to see it on holidays or just once a year?"

"I plan to be there every step of the way. I want to be at all the doctor's appointments, though I'd rather it if it wasn't just you and I there. It's bad enough I'm stuck with you for the rest of my child's life, there's no need to spend any time alone."

"The feeling is mutual, trust me. Fine, you can come to the appointments; Harry will be there on my behalf. I suppose you can bring someone along if you'd like."

"Blaise."

"Zabini?"

"Do you know any others?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What about once it's born?"

"Joint custody, I believe, is appropriate. Unless you prove to be an unfit mother, at which point I will contest."

"I think it's much more likely you'll turn out to be an unfit father, Malfoy."

"Doubtful," Malfoy snapped, getting out of his chair. "Owl me the time and place of your next appointment. And if you're worried about money, don't be, I'll pay for everything."

Throwing a handful of Galleons onto the table for the meal, Malfoy turned on his heel without so much as a goodbye and stalked out of the pub.

Hermione sighed. She couldn't imagine another nine months of this, not to mention every time they were forced to be around each other once the child was born. She was in for a long and hard journey.


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** I imagine most people had pretty much given up on this story; admitedly, so did I! But, since reading the seventh book (there won't be any spoilers, promise, this is still AU), I've become inspired and hopefully I can start to reguarly update! Please review!**  
**

**Chapter Five**

Following the tense lunch meeting, Draco returned to his office. He had no meetings for the rest of the day but had a great deal of reading to catch up on.

Following his graduation from Hogwarts, Draco had no idea where he wished to take his life. Believing his past made it inappropriate to become an Auror, Draco had been disinterested in other Ministry positions. Having inherited a great deal of money from his late parents, Draco had decided to go into business for himself. Always having been interested in Quidditch, he created _Malfoy Enterprises_, specializing in the production of state of the art broomsticks and other Quidditch equipment.

Due mainly to the enormous budget available to him, Draco's first business venture was an enormous success. Over the past five years he had created a company that had thirty two different departments, specializing in things from Quidditch, to dress robes, to real estate. As the head of such a successful business, Draco was something of a workaholic, determined to involve himself in every aspect of his business.

However, building an empire came at a price and as such; Draco didn't have a lot of friends. Of course he had Blaise but most of his school day friends had either perished in the war or were now serving sentences in Azkaban for their involvement with Death Eaters. Over the years, he had maintained contact with Harry Potter. The two men, though by no means great friends, had managed to put their differences aside and realize the benefits of the other's company. They saw each other two or three times a year and constantly owled each other for advice on their separate areas of work.

It was times like these when Draco appreciated that strange but strong friendship he had with his childhood enemy. Grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment, Draco wrote in his neat, slanted writing:

_Potter,_

_You've no__ doubt heard. I plan to do the right thing and be an involved father, but I really don't know how. I was raised by Lucius Malfoy and you, who never __met his__ father, probably know more about it than I do._

_Shall we meet? I need advice._

_Draco L. Malfoy_

_Malfoy Enterprises_

Draco attached the letter to his large, black owl, Hamlet, and sent him flying out the window. Though Blaise was Draco's closest friend, for some reason, he sought the advice of someone who knew Granger well and could best prepare him for what was to come.

For the next couple of hours, Draco busied himself with reading. His real estate department wished to expand and needed his approval. After reading the proposal, he signed his approval and rose from his large chair, stretching his back in front of the large window. The window overlooked Diagon Alley and Draco would often stand there watching his fellow witches and wizards below, busying themselves with their daily lives.

A loud hoot interrupted Draco's thoughts as he spotted Hamlet flying through the opposing, open window. Attached to his leg were two pieces of parchments. Malfoy removed the first.

_Malfoy,_

_You've really gotten yourself i__nto something this time. Ginny __and Hermione are off to visit Tonks and Lupin tonight so why don't we meet at the Three Broomsticks at about eight. I'll see you there._

_Harry J. Potter_

_Auror_

_Ministry of Magic_

Conveniently, Malfoy lived in Hogsmeade and thus could stop by the Three Broomsticks on his way home. After his parents died, he had decided to sell Malfoy Manor, expelling the bad memories it held for him. Though he owned numerous properties, both in Britain and abroad, he preferred his small three bedroom townhouse in Hogsmeade.

The second letter came as a surprise to Draco.

_Dear __Mr.__ Malfoy,_

_I enjoyed the talk we were lucky enough to have at your recent reunion and I acknowledge the desire you expressed to me about one day teaching at your old school._

_A new position has opened up for the new school year in September and I immediately thought of you. I have made an appointment for you tomorrow in my office at eleven o'clock._

_Until then._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

One of the few things Draco remembered about the reunion was the talk he'd had with the headmaster at the beginning of the night. They had discussed Malfoy's successful business and what he planned to do in the future when the topic of returning to teach had come up. Draco doubted there were many Hogwarts graduates who did not consider one day reliving their days at school by teaching the future students of magic. Draco had been mere marks behind Hermione Granger come graduation and he knew that he had much knowledge to pass on. Though he had never particularly enjoyed the company of children, or that of helping others, he saw teaching at Hogwarts as the next thing for him to conquer.

* * *

"Well, Tonks, Remus; I have some news as well."

Hermione sat nervously in the Lupin living room, cradling a pumpkin juice in her hand. She and Ginny had been invited over for dinner to share the exciting news of Tonks' pregnancy with them. Harry had been supposed to come but had cancelled at the last minute for an urgent meeting with an old friend. Hermione's nerves were heightened without Harry by her side but she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"What is it Hermione?" asked Remus, putting his arm around his wife.

"Well…" Hermione hesitated.

It was one thing to explain it to the man who had known her inside out since she was eleven; quite another to explain it to two respected members of the Order of the Phoenix, one of whom had once been her teacher.

Hermione felt Ginny's hand close over hers and give a slight squeeze. Hermione again took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she spoke.

"I am also pregnant."

Hermione didn't open her eyes straight away and was met with silence. She slowly pried her eyes open to see a shocked looking Tonks and Lupin sitting opposite her. After a few seconds, Tonks' face broke into a wide grin and she leapt from the couch to crush Hermione in an enormous hug.

"Oh my goodness! Hermione! That's so exciting; we're going to be pregnant together!"

Hermione was barely listening, however, as she was looking over Tonks' shoulder at her former Professor. Remus was eyeing her quizzically, not looking happy or angry.

"Who's the father?"

Tonks' question brought Hermione back to reality and she glanced nervously at Ginny.

"Now, I don't want you to get angry. I know this seems very out of character for me but at the Hogwarts Reunion, I ended up with a…" Hermione trailed off, looking for the right word, "unlikely man."

"Who?" breathed Tonks with anticipation.

"Draco Malfoy."

Even as she said it, Hermione grimaced, as if in pain.

"What?"

Remus's loud, demanding remark made Hermione jump as she looked into a face that could only be described as angry. Of course she had known that, throughout the nine months of her pregnancy, she would be met with some very negative reactions as to whom the father was but, as this was the first time, she was surprised at how much it hurt.

"I know what you're both thinking and I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't remember anything about that night but, I'm pregnant and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Wait, he cursed you? The little weasel Malfoy cursed you?"

"No, no, no," Hermione cried, reassuring Tonks. "I was heavily intoxicated. At the reunion, they had a large tribute to Ron and, I just found it hard to deal with it, so I started drinking. He was drunk as well, so he didn't take advantage of me."

Hermione sighed deeply. What a bizarre situation she had been thrown into. Not only was a child growing inside her but here she was, defending Malfoy.

She must be going insane.


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.**  
**

**Chapter Six**

Draco arrived at the Three Broomsticks to find Harry waiting for him at a table in the corner. As he passed the bar, he ordered himself a drink, removing his warm cloak. As it was late February, there was still a cold chill outside and Draco welcomed the warm fires alight in the pub.

"Potter," Draco greeted with a slight nod, outstretching his hand.

Harry took the hand and shook it, also giving a nod. Hanging his coat on the wall, Draco took a seat opposite him and thanked the woman who brought him his drink. Taking a long gulp, he stared across at the man opposite.

"So, you're going to be a dad?"

"Thanks for the news flash, Potter."

Unlike when they were young, there was no malice in Draco's voice, merely friendly sarcasm.

"God, I couldn't imagine a worst father."

"I could. You."

The two men chuckled after a few moments, breaking any tension that had been there before.

"Look, I don't know what to do."

"What's there to know? As long as you're around, you're being a good dad. As long as you love this child, look after and provide for this child, you'll be fine."

"How do I do all that when I despise its mother?"

"Well you should probably start by not calling him or her an it."

Draco smirked. Though they hadn't discussed it, Draco was determined not to find out the sex of the baby until it was born. He saw the surprise as something to get him through the next seven months with Granger.

"Look, I don't have kids. But as far as I know, as soon as you have your son or daughter in your arms, nothing else will matter. It won't matter that you and Hermione don't quite see eye to eye, it won't matter that your own father was a horrible man. All that will matter is the baby you're holding."

Draco sighed. He hoped Harry was right. It didn't, however, solve the problem of his necessary involvement with Granger.

"Why don't you two just put your differences aside? You and I did."

"Yeah, well you're not quite as insufferable and stubborn as Granger. Besides," Draco said, looking down at the table, "she killed my mother."

"No she didn't."

"Yes she did. Potter, she told me."

"Well, yes, technically she did. But it was an accident. And besides, it was a war, Malfoy! What did you think would happen?"

"You don't understand."

"I don't understand? My mother was murdered, remember?"

"Yeah and you hated the bloke that did it, so why should this be any different?"

"Everyone hated Voldemort! And like I said, it was an accident. Hermione tried to disarm your mother. They were dueling; one of them was bound to die in the end."

"Well, forgive me but I would have much preferred it to be Granger."

"Look," Harry said, sighing deeply. "I know you two will probably never get along and truth be told, you don't have to. But you're going to have to learn to stand her, at the very least be in the same room as her."

Draco knew he was right, but it didn't make it any easier or enjoyable.

"What else has been going on with you anyway?"

Glad for the change in subject, Draco began to tell Harry about the letter he'd received from Dumbledore that day.

"That's great. I've always thought about it, still do sometimes."

"Why don't you tell Dumbledore that?"

"I dunno, I'm not really ready," Harry replied. "I haven't finished being an Auror yet."

The two continued chatting amicably, mainly about their jobs. As they neared midnight, the two men rose and bade each other goodbye. Harry left by Floo but Draco exited the pub into the cool night air. As he walked along, he could see the enormous castle in the distance.

When Draco finally climbed into bed, all his thoughts were on his meeting the following day.

* * *

"Serena."

"Ginny!"

"Harmony. It kind of sounds like your name then!"

"Honestly, Ginny, give it a rest."

Hermione and Ginny were separately preparing their breakfasts in the kitchen the following morning. Since they'd awoken, Ginny had been suggesting baby names to Hermione. Not wanting to think about such things just yet, it was beginning to irritate Hermione immensely.

"Dalia, Connie, Morgan?"

"Ginny!"

"Fine. I was only trying to help," the red head snapped haughtily.

"What makes you so sure it's a girl anyway?" asked Hermione, trying to lighten the mood. "Wait! Ginny! Did you see the sex when you examined me?"

Hermione had decided she didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. She didn't care if Malfoy felt differently; she would make Ginny promise not to tell.

"No, Hermione. It's far too early to tell that sort of thing. Besides, I wouldn't tell you without you giving me permission."

"Well, I don't want to know. And I want you to promise not to tell Malfoy either."

Ginny assured her that she wouldn't and, after saying goodbye to Harry who was still in bed, the two women made their separate ways to work.

* * *

"Good Morning, Dennis."

"Good morning, Ms Granger," Dennis replied chirpily. "There's no mail this morning. But here's your coffee."

"Thank you, Dennis."

Hermione entered her office to find it empty. Though Luna had her own office across the hall, she spent most of her time in Hermione's as most of the research material could be found on her bookshelves.

"Dennis is Luna in yet?" called Hermione.

"No, Ms Granger. She Flooed me earlier and said she would be a little late. It seems Emmett was giving her some trouble this morning."

The only person, besides Hagrid, Hermione had ever known to have a Hippogriff as a pet, was Luna. Emmett, her pet, would often escape or destroy some of Luna's property, almost on a weekly basis.

"Dennis, am I particularly busy today? I need some time to go into London to visit my parents."

"You have two meetings this morning, Ms Granger. But you're free until three o'clock this afternoon and then you have a meeting with Minerva McGonagall."

Hermione's former Head of House would visit Hermione about once a month to catch her up on all the goings on of Hogwarts. Though Hermione now considered Minerva a friend, she continued to call her Professor McGonagall, much to her displeasure.

"Alright, leave me two hours free this afternoon."

In her despair and disgust about mothering Draco Malfoy's child, Hermione had completely forgotten to inform her Muggle parents. Retired dentists, the two were only in England for a short time as they were heading to Australia to spend a year travelling in a caravan.

"Ms Granger," interrupted Dennis, knocking on her door. "Your first appointment, a Mr. Lionel Hoggleton is here."

"Send him in, Dennis," replied Hermione, taking an enormous gulp of her coffee.

She was ready to start her day.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all of the reviews I've received so far. The more reviews I get, definitely the quicker I update, so keep them coming. I just want to clear up a possible misconception. This story does not follow either _The Half Blood Prince_ or _Deathly Hallows_. Everything before that (the first five books) count, but nothing else. Keep reviewing!**  
**

**Chapter Seven**

Draco strolled through the familiar castle halls. It had been so long since he had been a student here but, now that he was back, it felt like yesterday. Much of it still looked the same. Of course, there were one or two new paintings hanging on the vast walls, but for the most part, it was just as it was when eleven year old Draco Malfoy had arrived for his first day of school.

Draco approached the Headmasters office, realizing he didn't know the password. It was almost eleven and instead, Draco decided to wait. A few minutes had passed when Draco heard approaching footsteps. Coming around the corner was his former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

The old man had aged significantly over the past ten years, and, had Draco not been aware of his brilliance, he would have questioned the man's ability to be Headmaster.

"Good Morning, Draco."

"Good Morning, Professor Dumbledore," Draco replied, smiling widely and out stretching his hand.

"Oh, but it is Albus now."

Draco nodded but knew he would never call his old Headmaster by his first name. With a whispered password (_Butterbeer_), the two men made their way up into Dumbledore's office. It was much the same as Draco had remembered it, almost identical, in fact.

"Please take a seat," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the deep armchair in front of his desk.

Draco sat down, as did Dumbledore behind his desk. The old man eyed Draco with his sparkly blue eyes, grasping his hands together and smiling.

"So, you said you had a job to offer me?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, that depends, Draco. First, why don't you tell me why you want to teach at Hogwarts?"

Draco didn't respond right away. Of course, he knew the Headmaster wanted to hear that he loved children and wanted to help them become the adults they wanted to be. But that was a lie. And Draco Malfoy wasn't a liar.

"To be honest, sir, I believe it's the next thing for me to achieve in my life. I've achieved more than I'd ever hoped in business, and this was one of the few things I was interested in when I graduated."

"So you don't wish to help mould the young witches and wizards who come through these doors?"

"Not really, sir. Of course if I were to get the job, I would do my best at it, help my students achieve their best results. But I would be lying if I said it was my reason for wanting the job."

Dumbledore didn't respond. Instead, he lent forward and gazed at Draco curiously, his hands still clasped.

"Very well then, you've got the job."

Draco's mouth dropped open.

"Really, sir?"

"Of course. But don't you want to know what job it is?"

"I assume Potions, sir? I heard Professor Snape was retiring and it was the only subject I beat Granger in."

Truth be told, Draco had only beaten her by one mark, but he'd beaten her all the same.

"You assumed correctly, Mr. Malfoy. I will also need you to assist Professor Cordon with any help he made need in adapting to the new Head of Slytherin role."

Draco had never met Gervase Cordon but he'd heard of him. An ex-Auror, he had been instrumental in the capture and prosecution of Draco's father when Draco was in sixth year. Due to a technical error, Lucius had escaped punishment and was killed by his master, Voldemort, three months later.

"Yes, sir."

"You won't have a problem with that, given the role he played in your father's arrest?"

"No, sir. But I can't be sure he'll feel the same way about me."

Though he had switched sides, when Draco met people who'd known his father, he still received discrimination from them as Lucius was such a horrible man. He doubted meeting Gervase Cordon would be any different.

"Oh, I have no reason to believe that to be true. Gervase is a very good man and extremely understanding. I will of course, explain everything to him."

Draco nodded and glanced at his clasped hands. He wasn't sure if he should inform Dumbledore of the predicament he and Granger had found themselves in. Deciding it was for the best, he looked up again.

"Sir, there's probably something I should tell you before you give me the job," Draco said, quickly doing the math in his head. "In September, I'm going to become a father."

"Draco that is splendid news! Congratulations."

Dumbledore was beaming down at him.

"You don't think it will affect my teaching abilities, sir?"

"Most definitely. However, I think I can persuade Severus to stay on as a back up for the first few months while you spend time with your child as well as teach."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Well, perhaps Severus can continue to teach the fifth, sixth and seventh years while you teach the first, second, third and fourth. Then, when you are ready, you can take over all teaching."

Draco smiled. It definitely sounded like a good idea. He did not want to be a workaholic father who never saw his child, especially in the early months.

"Sir, would I be required to live at the castle?"

"Well, that would be up to you, Mr. Malfoy. I imagine it would make things easier in terms of seeing your baby between classes, however, by no means do I see it as a requirement."

"It would be ideal, sir, only, I don't exactly get along with the child's mother."

"You don't get along with her? Forgive me, Draco, for I am old, but how do you create a child with someone you don't get along with."

"Well, sir," Draco began, feeling himself blush, "it involves a Hogwarts reunion and an awful lot of alcohol."

Dumbledore smiled slightly and nodded, chuckling to himself.

"So the mother is a former Hogwarts student? You know, the job of Transfiguration professor has also opened up. Minerva was to offer it to Hermione Granger this afternoon, but, depending on whom the mother is, I may be persuaded to change my mind."

Draco stared at the Headmaster, dumbfounded. Not only was it bad enough that he would be fathering a child with Granger, but he'd be living and working with her as well?

Life couldn't possibly get any worse.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.**  
**

**Chapter Eight**

"Professor McGonagall, I'm so sorry I'm late."

Hermione entered her office in a flurry, dropping her bag and cloak on the floor and advancing on her seated visitor. Minerva McGonagall was still the stern looking woman she had been at school but Hermione was lucky enough to know the relaxed, softer side of her.

"Ms Granger, how many times must I tell you to call me Minerva?"

"At least a hundred more times, Professor," Hermione replied, smiling as she took a seat behind her desk. "I do apologise for keeping you waiting. I got held up at my parent's house."

"Not a problem, dear. I was marveling at some of the books you have in here."

"I'm not quite up there with the Hogwarts Library, but I'm getting there."

The two women spoke amicably for the next half hour about life, work and Hogwarts. Dennis brought them pumpkin juice and muffins before quietly excusing himself.

"Ms Granger, I did actually come to see you for a reason today."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, eyeing the other woman curiously.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said, smiling softly at her. "Professor Dumbledore sent me. He wishes to offer you a job."

Had Hermione had pumpkin juice in her mouth at that moment, she would most definitely have spat it out.

"I beg your pardon? He wants to offer me a job? At Hogwarts?"

When she was at school, Hermione had always been dubbed a mini version of Professor McGonagall, something she had taken great pride in. Most people believed that she would eventually return to Hogwarts to teach and maybe even one day become Headmistress. It had always been at the back of Hermione's mind, and she knew that, were she not pregnant, it would not be an offer she could turn down.

"Professor," Hermione began, a slight quiver in her voice, "I don't think I can teach at Hogwarts."

"Why ever not, Ms Granger? You were the top of your year, in every subject bar one; you are a Gryffindor so you definitely have the nature for it. What is the problem?"

"Professor, I'm pregnant. I'm having a baby in September."

"Ms Granger that is fantastic news."

Hermione smiled. She knew she had to drop the next bombshell.

"Draco Malfoy is the father."

At first, Professor McGonagall didn't say anything. She stared at Hermione, as if contemplating for a moment, trying to decide her next move.

"That is quite the coincidence, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall said. "Albus has offered the position of Potions Master to Mr. Malfoy."

"Malfoy's going to be teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Assuming he accepts."

Hermione was shocked. Though she despised Malfoy, the fact of the matter was, they were having a baby together. For Malfoy to make an enormous life altering decision, such as taking a teaching post at Hogwarts, without consulting her, angered Hermione immensely. How was he supposed to be involved in his child's life if he was spending all his time at Hogwarts castle?

"I don't know how either of us can juggle a baby and a job at Hogwarts, Professor."

"I don't see how any other job would be easier, Ms Granger. If you were to work at Hogwarts, you could live there and thus see your child in between classes, whenever you wanted."

Hermione had to admit she had a point. It would make sense that, while they weren't teaching, she and Malfoy could spend their spare time being parents. As well as evenings and weekends, it did sound like an ideal arrangement.

"When do you need my decision by, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"I think I can allow you a week to contemplate and discuss with Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, getting out of her chair. "As soon as I've made a decision, I'll let you know."

"Very good," Professor McGonagall said, making her way toward the door. She turned back toward Hermione. "By the way, Ms Granger, the job on offer is Transfiguration Professor."

"You're leaving?"

"I thought it was time. I have been at Hogwarts for many years, enjoying all of them. But it is time for me to live a quieter life."

"Who will be Head of Gryffindor?"

"Professor Rastin for now. I think Albus is hoping you will move into the position when you are ready but for now, we must settle with Verone."

The two women said their goodbyes and Hermione found herself alone in her office. She knew that she would have to talk to Malfoy about this eventually but first, she was off to the Burrow.

* * *

Draco returned to his office that afternoon, still considering the talk he'd had with Dumbledore. After discussing the living options, Dumbledore had told Draco that he must talk to Granger before making a decision. Begrudgingly, he had agreed.

_Granger,_

_We need to __meet;__ I need to discuss something with you. Come by my office tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. My secretary will be expecting you._

_Draco L. Malfoy_

_Malfoy Enterprises_

Attaching the parchment to Hamlet's leg, Draco took a seat on the plush, black sofa in the middle of his office. Teaching at Hogwarts was a very tempting job, but he knew if Granger refused to move there he would have to decline in order to get to know his child. Knowing that Granger returned the hate he had for her, Draco highly doubted she would be persuaded.

* * *

"Here you go, dear."

Molly Weasley placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Hermione who was sitting at the Weasley's kitchen table. Though Ron was dead, Hermione had maintained an extremely close friendship with the Weasley family, regularly visiting both alone and with Harry and Ginny. Hermione had given Ginny permission to inform her parents of her pregnancy and they'd both sent her warm, congratulatory letters.

"I have a bit of a problem, Mrs. Weasley."

"What is it dear? I have had seven children you know, I do know a thing or two about pregnancy," Molly said, smiling warmly at her.

"Oh, it's not about the pregnancy. I've been offered the job of Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, for the next school year."

"Hermione! That's wonderful. We always knew you'd end up back there, doing what we all know you do best."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. The problem is though, that's when the baby is due. They've also offered Malfoy a job and if we were to both take them; it would be very convenient as we could see the baby in between classes."

"Oh yes, that does sound ideal, doesn't it?"

"But I don't think I can live with Malfoy. We hate each other."

"Dear, if there's one thing that dreadful war taught me, it's that there are good and evil. Malfoy isn't one of the evil ones. Surely you two can but your problems behind you."

"I really don't think we can, Mrs. Weasley. There's just too much hatred there."

"But dear, you can't just think about yourselves anymore, you must think about the baby. And if having you both living and working in the same place is what will allow you to be the best parents, then that is what you have to do."

"Do it for the baby?"

"For the baby."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** I know, I am the worst updater ever! My apologies for the ENORMOUS delay in updating. This chapter, and the ones I promise will follow, is long over due. Please, as always, review, review, review!

**Chapter Nine**

The following morning, Hermione was once again making her way to the top floor of _Malfoy Enterprises_. She knew that she and Malfoy had to discuss their future employment but it didn't make her any less disgusted at where she was and who she was about to see.

"Good Morning, my name is Hermione Granger. I have an appointment with Draco Malfoy."

"One moment miss," the secretary squeaked, consulting the parchment in front of her. "If you would like to take a seat, Mr. Malfoy shouldn't be too long."

Hermione took a seat on the plush, black leather couch. She vaguely remembered there being a similar one inside of Malfoy's office. Unlike most waiting rooms, this one was not cluttered with magazines. There was today's copy of _The Daily Prophet_ and a Quidditch magazine. Hermione opted for _The Daily Prophet._

"Mr. Malfoy will see you now, miss."

Hermione tore her eyes away from the article she had been reading and nodded at the secretary. Bundling her things in her arms, she made her way over to the heavy oak doors. As if sensing her, they opened to reveal a bored looking Malfoy behind his desk.

He beckoned her in and she jumped when she heard the heavy doors close behind her. Dumping her things on the floor by the door, she approached his desk, not sitting down immediately.

"Malfoy," she said as a way of greeting.

"Granger."

The two stared at each other. Hermione marveled at how different Malfoy looked from their school days. He was enormously tall, around 6'5" with broad, muscular shoulders. He now had his hair cut in a short, yet stylish, buzz cut. As it was shorter, it merely looked blonde rather than the almost white colour it had been when they were young. Still as pale as a bed sheet, Malfoy also seemed to have grown into his face. It had always been pointed yet, with the short hair, less so. Despite her hatred for him, Hermione couldn't help but hope their child was blessed with the same good and autocratic looks of him, rather than her plain ones.

"So, you wanted to talk?" Hermione asked, interrupting the silence and plopping herself down in a chair.

"Please, make yourself at home, Granger," Malfoy drawled sarcastically. "And yes, I did want to talk. We need to discuss our future."

"I'm not marrying you, Malfoy. I'm sorry."

Of course, Hermione knew that Malfoy would never in a million years marry her but, tormenting him about it was far too much fun to avoid.

"I don't want to bloody marry you, Granger," Malfoy snarled, through gritted teeth. "I meant our employment future."

"Well, we both seem to own successful businesses."

"Successful, you say?"

Hermione saw the smirk on his face and immediately knew he was trying to insult her. She didn't let it get to her, however, as her business was extremely successful. Though not as large as _Malfoy Enterprises_, it could definitely compete with it.

"Teaching at Hogwarts would not mean either of us had to sell our company's," Malfoy said. "Though I would completely understand if you wanted to."

"No, thank you," Hermione snapped haughtily. "So you think we should both go to Hogwarts?"

"Why not? We'd have a wonderful place to live, separately," he said, emphasizing the final word. "And in between classes we could spend time with the baby."

"What are we supposed to do with the baby if we're both teaching at the same time?"

"I told you money was not an issue, Granger. I can hire a Nanny."

"I don't want my child turning out like you, Malfoy. He or she will not be being raised by a Nanny."

"The Nanny wouldn't be raising it, Granger," Malfoy snapped, ignoring her insult. "She would merely be taking care of it for a maximum of a couple of hours a day."

"It? You're calling our child an it?"

"Well you never know, Granger, you are the one carrying it."

The two of them glared at each other, secretly wishing the other would just disappear. After a few minutes, Hermione broke the silence.

"Fine, we'll teach at Hogwarts. But I won't be teaching for at least the first month. Until that time, a Nanny is not coming near this child."

"Fine. I'll contact Dumbledore and we'll start to get the arrangements made. We'll probably have to move there in June, after the students have all left."

"Very well. Is there anything else?'

"Yes."

"What?"

"Get out of my office."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note: **I think this is record update for me! Thanks for all the reviews. The more I get, the quicker I update so please, please, please review!

**Chapter Ten**

Over the next few weeks, Hermione busied herself with work. Before she knew it, the time had come for her next appointment with Ginny. As promised, she would be allowing Malfoy to attend and would be bringing Harry as emotional support.

She and Harry arrived a little early and took seats in the waiting room. Malfoy had obviously not arrived yet so Hermione occupied herself with an old magazine. Harry found a Quidditch magazine and didn't look up from it until Malfoy burst through the door.

"Morning, Potter," he said, taking a seat next to him. "Granger."

Hermione merely nodded in his general direction. The two were still, obviously, not getting along. They had been forced to spend quite a bit of time together organising for their move in June to Hogwarts. Despite the protests of both of them, Dumbledore had informed them that in order to accommodate for their baby, they would have to share a suite whilst living at the castle. Hermione had a suspicious feeling that her old Headmaster was plotting against them.

They would be required at the castle almost as soon as the students left for their summer holiday. Over the summer break, they would spend their time reading and studying for their upcoming teaching roles, attending teaching lessons and seminars, and reacquainting themselves with the castle.

At that time, Hermione would be approximately seven months pregnant. She was glad that much of her summer would be spent reading, allowing her the rest and relaxation she knew she would need at that point in her pregnancy. Malfoy would, unfortunately, be by her side much of the time as they would be forced to live together. Though it could come in handy at times, when she had pregnancy cravings for instance, Hermione knew it would not be a very enjoyable summer.

"Hermione Granger."

The three of them rose and entered into Ginny's office. Harry kissed her in greeting and took a seat behind her desk. Ginny gave Hermione a warm hug and, surprisingly, shook Malfoy's hand.

"I thought you said he'd be bringing someone, Hermione," Ginny asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"That's what I thought too."

"Blaise was unable to make it today. He sends his apologies."

The polite conversation over, Hermione lay down on the examination table. Malfoy stood stiffly beside the bed, watching Ginny rather than looking at the mother of his child.

"Now, you're almost four months along," Ginny said as she cast her wand over Hermione's belly. "At this stage, we're able to tell the sex of the baby. Do either of you want to know?"

"No!"

The two of them objected in unison, startling Ginny slightly. Hermione was glad they could at least agree on this small point and smiled to herself.

"I'd like to know," Harry said, grinning.

"Definitely not, Harry Potter," Hermione said, chuckling. "And Ginny, I forbid you to tell him!"

The rest of the appointment was fairly routine. It seemed her baby was growing at an appropriate rate and appeared very healthy. Despite still not feeling particuarly maternal, Hermione was relieved to hear this.

As she got up from the examination table, she saw Harry and Malfoy laughing off to the side. Ginny saw what she was looking at.

"I've never really understood it either," she said. "They were such enemies once upon a time. And now look."

Hermione smiled at her friend, shrugging her shoulders. She sometimes felt as if Harry was betraying her, even though she knew this was ridiculous. She hated Malfoy so much and wanted her friends to feel the same. But Harry greatly respected Malfoy, even if Hermione or Ginny couldn't see why.

"I'll see you again next month," Ginny said. "Well, Hermione and Harry, I'll see you tonight, but Malfoy, I'll see you next month!"

Harry decided to stay with Ginny, so Hermione and Malfoy left the office. Once out of the waiting room, they stopped and turned to face each other.

"I guess I'll see you in a month, Granger."

"I guess so. Seeya."

Turning their backs on each other, they walked in opposite directions, not looking back.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and a few original characters, but everything else belongs to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** I've had a lot of people requesting longer chapters, so hopefully this satisfies them! I head back to university tomorrow, so along with writing longer chapters, the updates may be a little less frequent. I'm aiming for a new chapter at least once a week, hopefully a little more! The more reviews I get, the more encouraged I am to keep writing so please, review, review, review!

**Chapter Eleven**

After leaving Malfoy outside of Ginny's practise, Hermione returned to _Granger Enterprises_. Dennis greeted her with a steaming cup of coffee and a stack of messages.

"Ms Lovegood is in your office and an Owl arrived from your mother earlier."

Hermione thanked Dennis and entered her office. A few years earlier she had given her parents a pet owl, teaching them how to use it for any post they wanted to send to Hermione. Now, it was the main way she and the Grangers communicated.

"Hello, Luna."

Luna Lovegood was sitting cross legged on the floor in the centre of Hermione's large office. Dressed in a flowey red skirt and a bright green jumper, Luna looked as bizarre as ever, however with an enormous smile on her face.

"How did it go? Are you having a boy or a girl?"

"We've decided not to find out," Hermione replied. "But the baby is healthy and growing every day. Have you seen my mother's owl?"

"I let her go, she was hooting rather loudly. But her note is just there."

Hermione picked up the small piece of parchment where Luna pointed and opened it quickly.

_Hermione, my dear,_

_By my calculations, you should be four months pregnant now. Such excitement for your father and I. I admit, it wasn't quite the situation we were hoping for (a wedding would be nice), but we are excited all the same._

_Both your father and I would very much like to meet this old school friend of yours, the father. A nice, quiet dinner at our house would be lovely, before it's time for us to leave for Australia. Let us know with a date and time. _

_All our love,_

_Mum_

Hermione groaned and slumped into her desk chair. When she had informed her parent's of her pregnancy, they'd been too surprised and overwhelmed to demand a meeting with the father. Hermione knew she'd been naive to think she would never have to introduce her parents to Draco Malfoy.

"Oh Luna, what am I going to do?"

After explaining the problem to Luna, the two women sat in silent contemplation.

"I have a plan," cried Luna, jumping up from the floor. "Next time you see Malfoy, grab a piece of his hair, we'll brew a Polyjuice potion and I will go in his place."

Hermione sighed. She didn't know which would be worse: her parent's meeting the rude and arrogant Draco Malfoy or the strange and odd Luna Lovegood in disguise.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Luna. I mean, they're going to have to meet him eventually right? Once the baby is born?"

"You could always run away to America."

Running away was definitely not the answer. Hermione was far too happy with her current business and her upcoming teaching position at Hogwarts.

"I don't even think he'll agree. How am I supposed to convince Draco Malfoy to visit my Muggle parents in their Muggle home and be charming?"

"You could pay him."

Hermione was becoming quite frustrated with Luna's responses, which were much more of an oddity today than they usually were.

"Well I suppose I can go and throw myself at his mercy," Hermione said, gathering up her things. "I'll be back soon Luna."

* * *

Draco glared down at the enchanted parchment on his desk.

_A Ms Hermione Granger here to see you, sir._

The parchment which his secretary could communicate with him through was stuck to his desk; otherwise Draco may very well have ripped it up. It hadn't even been an hour since he'd seen Granger last and he'd warned her about bothering him at work.

Stalking over to his office doors, he wrenched them open. Granger was standing in the middle of the foyer, looking around the room. Hearing the doors open, and without waiting for an invite, she walked into his office.

"Were you raised by wolves, Granger? It is impolite to enter someone's office without waiting for an invite."

Granger ignored him and sat down in front of his desk. Gritting his teeth, Draco closed his door with a flick of his wand and sat down behind his desk, glaring at her.

"What could you possibly want? I saw you not one hour ago."

"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here, Malfoy," she said, returning his glare. "But, I have a favour to ask."

Draco snorted.

"Trust me, I don't want to be asking but I received a letter from my mother today."

"Your Muggle mother I presume?"

"She's the only mother I have," Granger replied hotly. "She and my father are leaving for Australia in a matter of weeks. Before they go, they want to meet you."

Draco didn't reply, he was too shocked. He couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into, four months ago. What was a stupid, drunken night had somehow turned into an expectation for him to have dinner with Muggles.

"Why on Earth would I want to do that Granger? Not only can I not stand Muggles, but I imagine the lot that raised you are worse than usual."

Granger didn't reply, she merely sat there in silence, a murderous look on her face. Frustrated, Draco made his way over to the far corner of the room where a small bar facility sat. He poured himself a firewhisky and threw it down his throat.

"Okay. I suppose I can understand why they wish to meet me. But can't we arrange something in passing? Must we sit through a painful dinner?"

"Look, Malfoy. I don't want my parents to be subject to you and your arrogance, but there is simply no getting out of this. I know my mother and she will not rest until she has had a civilised meal with you."

Draco let out a low growl and took another glass of firewhisky, calming him slightly.

"Fine. But don't expect me to be nice."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Hermione stood in front of her bathroom mirror, fixing her hair. Harry lent against the doorway, watching her.

"I'm going to have dinner with my parents. And Malfoy."

"What?" Harry cried, his face breaking into surprise. "Your Muggle parents?"

"Why does everyone think I have more than one set of parents?" Hermione snapped, turning to face Harry.

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said, sighing. "I'm just nervous. I don't want to subject my poor, innocent parents to the likes of Draco Malfoy."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Harry assured her. "There's a lot you can say about Malfoy, but he was raised to be socially conscious and I'm sure he'll act appropriately."

Hermione gave him a sceptical look.

"Well you never know," Harry said, smiling. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Hermione laughed and turned back to the mirror. As she once again tried to tame her curls, she looked at Harry's reflection behind her. His shoulders were hunched and he was staring at his feet. Hermione immediately knew something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Harry?"

"What? Nothing."

"Harry James Potter," Hermione said, turning around again to face him. "I know you better than you think I do. What's the matter?"

Harry sighed, closed his eyes briefly and then stared straight at Hermione.

"I'm going to ask Ginny to marry me."

Hermione let out a small squeal. She launched herself into Harry's arms. Composing herself and stepping back, Hermione could not wipe the smile from her face.

Harry and Ginny had dated briefly whilst at Hogwarts but had ended their relationship due to Harry's upcoming responsibilities in the war. Following the demise of Voldemort, Harry had decided to undergo Auror training while Ginny completed her final year of schooling. Upon graduation, Ginny commenced her medi-witch training, keeping the two quite separate and unable to rekindle their romance.

A little over one year later, Ron Weasley, a Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, had been killed in a horrific Quidditch accident. He collided with Boris Tesero, a Chaser for the Cannons, during a match. The collision had been at such a high speed that Ron died two days later and Tesero had been bed ridden ever since.

Ron's death seemed to be a wakeup call for Harry and Ginny and the two had now been dating for six years. Everybody, Hermione included, had been wondering for years when Harry was going to propose. He always insisted that he wanted to be around for his marriage and thus would wait until his Auror assignments became less frequent. Apparently, that time was now.

"When are you going to do it?" Hermione asked, unable to hide her elation.

"Well Sunday is our sixth year anniversary, so I thought I'd do it then."

"Oh Harry," Hermione breathed. "That is just so wonderful. You two will make a wonderfully happy married couple."

"So you think she'll say yes?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and threw a hand towel at Harry.

"Of course she will you prat!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Draco stood on the stoop of the Granger's house that night, dreading the proceeding events. He stood to the left and slightly behind Granger who merely stared at the front door. After what seemed like an eternity, Draco gave up, reached past her and rang the doorbell himself.

"I was getting to that," she snapped.

Draco rolled his eyes and adjusted his tie. He had chosen to wear a Muggle suit and he was already feeling slightly uncomfortable in it. While he wore such things every day, he usually had the comfort of his wizarding robes over it and felt naked without them. Granger had also chosen to dress in Muggle attire.

The door swung open and Draco was presented with two middle aged Muggles. Mr Granger was tall and lanky with greying, short hair. He wore glasses and had a similar face to his daughter. Mrs Granger on the other hand was short, a little chubby and had straight, blonde hair. If Draco had seen her in the street, he would never have picked her to be the mother of Hermione Granger, the two looked nothing alike.

"Hi Mum. Dad."

Granger hugged and kissed both of her parents before turning toward Draco.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet Draco Malfoy. Draco, these are my parents, Tom and Elizabeth."

Draco smiled and extended his hand.

"Mr and Mrs Granger, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Hermione has told me so much about you."

Granger stared at him in shock. He smirked at her. Of course, he had been taught the polite way to act with company as a child and knew how to turn on his charm. By the end of the night, he knew he'd have Granger's parents eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Won't you please come in, Draco," Mrs Granger said, gesturing him into their home.

Draco politely accepted and entered the house. A small foyer led into a reasonable sized living room. Draco saw that it was quite sophisticatedly furnished and he deduced that the Grangers made quite a bit of money. Taking Mr Grangers lead, Draco sat down on one of the couches.

"Sit by Draco, dear," Mrs Granger told her daughter, smiling brightly.

Quite obviously begrudgingly, Granger sat on the opposite end of the couch. She glared at Draco briefly before turning toward her parents.

"So, Draco, what do you do for a living?" asked Mr Granger.

"Well, sir, I run quite a successful business called _Malfoy Enterprises_."

"What do you specialise in?"

For the next five minutes, Draco proceeded to tell the Grangers about his wide range of business endeavours.

"However, I'll be taking up a teaching position at Hogwarts in September so will have to take a bit of a back seat, business wise."

"You and Hermione will be teaching at Hogwarts together?" asked Mrs Granger. "Well that's wonderful. That will make it much easier on the baby."

"Yes Ma'am. That's part of the reason we both chose to take the positions. And what is it you do, sir?"

"Well, Liz and I are both dentists. But we've recently retired and were planning to go caravanning around Australia but..." he trailed off.

"What?" demanded Granger, speaking for the first time that night. "What do you mean 'were planning'? What's changed?"

"Well, you're pregnant dear."

"So?" Granger snapped.

"Hermione," her mother admonished. "Not in front of Draco."

Draco smirked, enjoying the show.

"Mum! I don't want you to rearrange your plans just because I'm pregnant."

"But I'm your mother, Hermione. Why wouldn't I want to be there when my first grandchild is born?"

"Mum! You won't be able to be there anyway, I'll be at Hogwarts."

"But-"

"No buts, Mum. You and dad go to Australia, just like you planned."

There was silence in the Granger lounge room, everybody except Draco looking at their feet.

"So, what's it like being a dentist?" Draco asked, smirking at Granger.

She glared back at him as the small talk began once again.

* * *

"Thank you. Bye!"

As the door closed behind them at the end of the evening, Malfoy gave a short snort.

"Well, I'd just like to say, I was the most polite one there."

Hermione glared at him before stalking down the path. She could hear his footsteps behind her but didn't slow down.

"We can Apparate from here. Thank you for coming," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "Good night."

With that, she Apparated to her apartment in London. She slumped down on the couch, her head in her hands.

After snapping at her mother about changing plans, the night had simply gone downhill. Malfoy was right; he had ended up being the most polite person there. He had turned on the charm for her parents, displaying impeccable manners and poise. Hermione knew that the Grangers had liked him and for some reason, she was relieved.

However, the entire evening had been too much for Hermione's nerves. Her mother was constantly making plans for the lead up to the birth and after the baby had been born. Since entering the wizarding world at the age of eleven, Hermione had drifted away from her parents more and more every year. She had gained a great deal of independence from an early age and it still frustrated her when her parents tried to dictate her life. She was twenty eight after all.

Of course, her mother had meant no harm and Hermione knew she would visit her the Granger household the next day with an apology, but it had ruined the evening all the same. What was supposed to have been an evening made unbearable by Malfoy had turned out to be all her fault.

"How did it go?"

Ginny entered the living room in a dressing gown, towelling off her hair. She sat down in an armchair, looking at Hermione expectantly.

"Dreadful. Absolutely dreadful."

"He was that bad?" Ginny asked sympathetically. "Honestly, if he can't even be pleasant for one evening, how are the two of you supposed to do this?"

Hermione was tempted not to correct Ginny, to let her go on thinking it was Malfoy's fault. Nobody would have any trouble believing that Malfoy had ruined the evening. However, she knew that she couldn't do that, not with Ginny. She instead explained the entire story, dropping her head into her hands at the end.

"Oh Hermione, what are we going to do with you?"

Hermione looked up to see Ginny smiling at her. Hermione smiled back and broke into a chuckle.

"Oh Gin, I acted atrociously. If Malfoy didn't think Muggles were animals before, he'll definitely think so now. And not because of my parents!"

Ginny giggled and went into the kitchen.

"How about a cup of tea?"

"Oh, I'd love one Gin," Hermione replied, laying herself back so she was sprawled out on the couch. "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know. He was acting very weird before and then said he had some work stuff to do and just left. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

Hermione felt her face going red but fortunately Ginny had her back to her.

"I'm not sure. I only saw him very quickly before I left but he seemed normal," Hermione lied.

Ginny came back to the living area and handed Hermione a cup of tea. She again sat in the armchair and looked at Hermione expectantly.

"So, have you thought about names yet?"

"Oh Ginny," Hermione laughed. "Malfoy and I can't even stand being in the same room as each other, I don't know how we're going to ever be civil enough to discuss and the agree upon names!"

"Well you must have given it some thought?"

Ginny was right, Hermione had given it a lot of thought.

"Maybe a little," she said, smiling sheepishly.

"Ah huh! I knew it. Alright, out with it, what ones do you like?"

"Well I've always liked the name Elijah, for a boy," Hermione said, smiling. "I suppose Thomas after my dad would be suitable for a middle name."

"Elijah Thomas Granger Malfoy."

"A bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" Hermione said, taking a sip of her tea. "For a girl, I adore the name Celeste. And call it guilt, but I would concede to Narcissa being the middle name."

"Celeste Narcissa Granger Malfoy."

"What do you think?" Hermione asked.

"I think they're both very cute."

"Now how do I convince Malfoy?"


End file.
